Genre:

Short Fiction

Subjects:

Education, Gender, Piety, Mathematics

    Mary complains to her mother that she is not learning as much as other fourteen-year-old girls. Her cousin Susan has seven tutors, including 'one she calls "the philosopher", who comes once a week to lecture her on all kinds of science' (110). Mary's mother elicits the intelligence that Susan is not happy, and is only working so hard in order to be accomplished when she is old enough to come out. She points out that all things should be done 'to the glory of God', rather than for the sake of praise. She explains how each part of Mary's studies is intended to fulfil this requirement. 'That every girl should be well-grounded in arithmetic', she observes, 'is necessary, to enable her to keep the accounts of her household, and to regulate her own and her domestic expenditure'. (111) She tells Mary that the glory of God may be kept in view 'in every branch of natural history, astronomy, and even your favorite botany, for all of these shew forth and declare the wonderful works of God; and in the study of each, our thoughts should be drawn forth to Him who formeth all things' (112).